


Pretending To Be Normal

by watanuki_sama



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Even Jou thinks so, Gen, Happy Birthday Kaiba fic, Japanese names, Kaiba is being normal-ish, Kaiba is pretty, Pre-slash sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 20:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/702311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watanuki_sama/pseuds/watanuki_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was the LAST place Jou expected to find Kaiba. But it WAS Kaiba's birthday, after all, so he might as well do something NICE...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretending To Be Normal

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted 10/25/2008 (Kaiba's birthday) on ff.net under the penname 'EFAW'.

Pretending to be Normal (For A Day)

Jou waved goodbye to Yuugi as the bus pulled up. He would have loved to hang out with his buddy a bit more, but Yuugi had to go shopping with his grandpa or something. Anzu was doing a family thing, and Honda had dedicated today to working on his motorbyke. So Jou had a day to bum around all by himself.

Climbing on the bus, he dug around in his pockets for change, wincing when his fingers found a nice sizeable hole. Oh, please say he had enough change, he _really_ didn't want to walk everywhere today, and the stupid buses didn’t give change for bills, please please _please_ …

By the time the rest of the passengers were starting to get annoyed and irritated, Jou pulled out a few coins with triumph. Depositing them in the machine, he smiled brightly at the bus driver, bee-lining towards the only open seat; a seat in the back next to a kid wearing a baseball cap. Normally Jou didn't like to sit next to _complete_ strangers, but this guy was a teen like himself, which meant they had something in common, and the guy was falling asleep on the window anyway, so it wasn't like he'd be _bothered_ or anything.

He wasn't even halfway down the aisle before the bus driver started up, and Jou stumbled the rest of the way to the open seat. Muttering annoyed words at the bus driver, the blond turned, grabbing onto the seat and lowering himself into the seat.

"Don't sit here, mutt."

"Fuck that, moneybags," Jou snapped, not even thinking about it. He plopped down in the seat in defiance, scowling. "I'll sit anywhere I damn well please."

Then his mind caught up with his mouth, and he whipped his head around to stare at his seatmate. "Kaiba?" It couldn't be Kaiba. That super-rich prick wouldn't be caught _dead_ on _public transportation_.

But _no_ , it was Kaiba. One eye opened a slit, and even though the color was a murky chocolate brown, there was no mistaking that familiar heated glare.

"Go _away_ , mutt," the teen snapped, and Jou's suspicions were confirmed. Yup, this was Kaiba.

But not the Kaiba Jou was used to. Jou was familiar with Kaiba being in either his school uniform, or pants and a shirt with one of his gravity-defying trenchcoats flaring out behind him. He was used to those chocolate-chestnut locks being perfectly coiffed, falling over icy ocean eyes. He was used to Kaiba being the perfect businessman, always sitting ramrod straight and never fidgeting no matter how boring the subject was.

But _this_ Kaiba was someone totally different. He was clad in faded blue jeans (who'd have thought Kaiba even _owned_ blue jeans?) and a t-shirt, with a simple denim jacket thrown over it. No gravity-defying mechanics, just a plain, form-fitting jacket. He was wearing a pair of sneakers (again, who knew?) that weren't ratty like Jou's, but weren't in perfect, just-bought condition either. A dark blue baseball cap was pulled low over his face, and his hair was out of its perfect shape, long strands falling around the teen's face. And then there were those eyes; instead of that clear, cold blue, Kaiba's eyes were dark brown.

Obviously it was a disguise. But _why_ was he disguised on a bus?

Curious, Jou leaned forward. "What're you doin' on a bus, Kaiba?"

For a minute, Kaiba glared darkly at him. Then he closed his eyes. "I'm being 'normal'." The billionaire's lips twisted, as though the very word left a bitter taste in his mouth. And maybe it did; who knew with super-rich people?

Jou snorted slightly. "Why're you doin' that? That's not like you. Are ya sick?"

Kaiba ignored him.

Even more curious now, mostly because Kaiba wasn't being his usual 'I'll-explain-it-cuz-you're-too-dumb-to-get-it' self, the blond leaned a little closer. "Come on, Kaiba, tell me. Why're you riding bus? Seriously, are ya sick? Cuz I really don't wanna catch it if you are."

More ignoring.

Jou sighed, leaning against the back of the seat. "Alright then, I'll just have to tell everyone that you're sick so they can take precautionary measures so _they_ won't get sick." He took a breath, cupping his hands over his mouth, and called, "Hey everybody! This here is Set—"

A hand tugged him down, and without fighting it, Jou shut up.

"Do you know the meaning of _disguise_ , mutt? Or should I get you a _dictionary_?"

Grinning, Jou turned, ignoring the nasty glare, and the smart-aleck comment. "So, why're you on the bus?"

"Shut _up_."

"Not until you tell me _why_. Otherwise, I have a duty as a law-abiding citizen of Domino to let these good people know that they're sitting on a contaminated bus."

"For your information, I am _not_ sick. And, _not that it's any of your business_ ," Kaiba hissed, eyes burning, "but Mokuba said that if I worked today, he wouldn't speak to me for a month. And he's gone out all day, and I got bored sitting at home doing nothing."

"Ah, sounds like fun." Jou settled in his seat, watching the scenery flash by the window. "Where are ya goin'?"

"None of your business, mutt."

"No, tell me. Where are ya headed?"

Kaiba shut his eyes, taking a breath to keep his raging temper back. Then he looked at Jou again, glare even darker than before. "None. Of. Your. Business."

"…well…why're your eyes brown?"

Kaiba was _ignoring_ the mutt.

"C'mon Kaiba, tell me. Otherwise I _will_ have to tell everyone that a very, very sick person is riding the bus with them."

"If I answer your questions, will you _shut up_?"

"…okay…"

Kaiba glared at him for a minute longer, before turning his glare out the window. For a long time he didn't say anything, and Jou thought that the other teen wasn't going to say anything. Just when Jou was about to make another annoyingly loud outburst, the CEO shifted. "I'm wearing colored contacts. That's why it's a _disguise_ , you moron. So people don't know it's _me_. And I don't know where I'm going."

Pause.

Then Jou blinked at him. "Then why're you on the bus?"

"Don't you ever shut up?"

Jou ignored that. "If you're not goin' anywhere, why're you sittin' on the bus? I mean, it's not like you're just sittin' here watchin' the route go by."

When Kaiba didn't deny that, Jou looked at him. Then he burst into laughter, covering his mouth with his hand. "Oh my god, you _are_. How long have you been sittin' here?"

Kaiba sunk down in his seat, his glare dark enough that it was a surprise the stuff he was looking at didn't burst into smithereens. Had it been anyone else, Jou might have said they were sulking, but this was _Kaiba. Kaiba_ didn't sulk.

"…four hours, " the billionaire admitted reluctantly.

Jou laughed again, his whole body shaking with suppressed laughter. He ignored the dark annoyed glare on the back of his skull, enjoying the idea of _Seto Kaiba_ sitting on a bus for four hours because he had _nothing better to do_. Who did that? It was _insane_.

Kaiba turned, pissed and annoyed, and whacked him upside the head (not that it stopped the laughter). "It's not funny," the dragon snarled, though Jou thought the teen was more embarrassed than angry.

Biting his lip, Jou sat up, wiping his eyes and pretending to be solemn. "Right. Of course. A richer-than-god businessman…sittin' on a bus…for _four hours_ …mm-hmm, nothin' funny…bout it…" A snigger burst out, and then Jou couldn't hold it back any more. He started laughing again.

Glowering, Kaiba hit the stop button, up and out of the seat before the bus had even slowed down. The second the doors opened, the brunette was on the curb, tugging the baseball cap down over his eyes.

To his horror, Jou followed him off.

Studiously ignoring the blond idiot (still sniggering, the bastard) Kaiba kept walking, not looking back. Where _was_ he? He recognized the area as somewhere he'd passed without a second look while he was driving somewhere more important, but he'd never actually gone through it, on foot or in the car.

Great. Just _great_.

Jou, finally over his laughter, jogged up beside him. "C'mon Kaiba, lemme help ya. Yer not doin' too well on your own."

"I don't _need_ your help," the dragon growled, stopping at an intersection. Trying not to seem _totally_ lost, he turned, stalking down the sidewalk like he knew exactly where he was going.

Unfazed and undeterred, Jou kept pace. "May I bring up the _bus_ as an example to contradict that? All of your smarts won't help ya _here_. This is a place where your hoity-toity common sense won't help ya. So…let _me_ give ya a helpin' hand."

Chocolate eyes turned suspiciously, but Jou knew that familiar icy gaze was probing him. He just waited, and after a moment, Kaiba asked, "What do you mean?"

Jou grinned. "You're rich. That's great, up in the corporate world downtown. But this, here, you see…this is the _common world_. You're just gonna be a fish outta water without help. And who better to help y a then a real, certified _common person_ , yeah?" Not to mention, it would be _totally_ awesome to prove to Kaiba that he was smarter than the prick, in _something_.

Kaiba stopped at another intersection, glaring at the 'Don't Walk' sign. He hated - _hated_ \- to admit it, but the mutt was (a little bit) right. Kaiba was a businessman. He hung out with corporate tycoons and rich people in the wealthy part of town. This was _foreign_ soil, and what Kaiba knew probably didn't apply here. It would have applied had he thought to bring his credit cards or money here, because money was a language _everyone_ spoke, but he'd foolishly left those at home.

And he didn't actually know how to get home.

Gritting his teeth, the dragon strode across the street when the lights changed, still ignoring the patter of dog feet following him. If only he'd brought his cell phone…but he'd left that at home too, reluctant to carry it around in case someone called for work. Seto had no doubt that Mokuba would check to make sure he hadn't worked, so he'd just left it on his nightstand to avoid that.

_That_ was stupid.

He'd been thinking for a while that he needed to get another, work-free cell, just in case. He'd always put it off, but if he'd had one he could just call his driver to get him out of here and go home.

Absently, he made a mental note to buy another cell as soon as he got home.

"Hey, _Kaiba_ ," the mutt called, actually grabbing his arm. He realized the mutt had been calling him for a while now, but that didn't stop his annoyed glare. The nerve of the dog-!

Jou dropped his grip once he saw that Kaiba was _finally_ paying attention. "Look, I know you can do this _all by yourself_ , but I _highly_ doubt you wanna go _that_ way. Unless you _meant_ to take a trip to the redlight district…?"

Without a word, Kaiba turned, stalking back the very way he'd just come. Damn stubborn bastard. Rolling his eyes, Jou trotted after him, coming up even with the super-billionaire. "Hey, how 'bout a truce?" he asked. He wasn't sure, but maybe Kaiba's eyes flickered towards him, just for a second? "You don't call me names, and act _human_ for a day, and _let me help you_ , and I won't make fun of your inability to adjust. What d'ya say?" Still trotting along, he held out his hand for a shake.

This time, he was certain; Kaiba's eyes definitely flickered towards him. After a moment, the brunettes asked, "Just for today?"

"Yup. Just for today."

Kaiba _looked_ like he was stubbornly ignoring him, but inside he was actually considering the deal. He always snatched up any deal that benefited or profited him, and while he was loathe to the dumb mutt was right, he was a fish out of water here. This part of the city he didn't know, and wandering around lost and aimless was _probably_ not a good idea.

Jou sighed, shoving his free hand in his pocket. He'd give Kaiba, like, a _minute_ before he left the jerkface to his own devices. Let him flounder around like a lost dog, not his problem if the bastard didn't wanna admit it-

Shocked out of his thoughts, Jou just stared at the slim hand clasped in his own. No way, Kaiba actually-?

Unsure if this was some sort of trick or joke or something, Jou looked up to find Kaiba's serious gaze trained on him.

"Not a _word_ about this to _anyone_ , mu-Jounouchi. Now, where's a decent place to _eat_ around here?"

Twenty minutes later found the two of them sliding into a booth, Jou carrying a tray, Kaiba staring around in disgusted wonder. "I said _decent_ , Jounouchi. A _decent_ place to eat."

Jou blinked, parceling out the food. Burger for _you_ , two burgers for _me_ …" This _is_ decent. And it's cheap. Just shut up and eat, Kaiba." Happily, the blond unwrapped one of his burgers, digging in with relish.

Kaiba was less enthusiastic. With a face that said he'd rather eat _poison_ , he undid the foil wrapping, eyeing the burger suspiciously. "Are you sure it's safe to eat? That much grease _can't_ be healthy."

Jou rolled his eyes. "Geez, Kaiba, a person might think you'd never eaten fast food before." Then a thought occurred to him, and he gasped dramatically. " _Have_ you eaten fast food before?"

Kaiba scowled, and was about to snap out a scathing comment -something about dog food- before remembering the terms of their little 'deal'. No names and he had to be a decent human being. _That_ was easier said than done.

Taking a breath, the teen reluctantly murmured, "Not in a long time. Mokuba loves the stuff, but I usually wait in the car until he's finished. Or I have my laptop, which means I don't have to pay attention. Or eat." He gingerly picked up the burger, taking a small teeny tiny _microscopic_ bite. Then his face twisted, and he set it down like it was a bomb. "Let's talk about something else."

"Sure. You gonna eat that?" At the shake of Kaba's head, Jou leaned over, snatching up Kaiba's burger.

Burger disposed of, Kaiba turned his attention to his milkshake, acting like he'd never seen one in real life before. It was kind of funny, but Jou was trying not to laugh. That make might make Kaiba break their deal, and Jou could do without the dog names for a day.

"So why today?" Jou questioned, turning burning through the burger and turning to his own shake.

"What do you mean?"

"Why doesn't Mokuba want you working, today of all days?"

Kaiba shrugged, as he finally picked up his shake, taking a small sip. "I don't know. I didn't think it was anything special. I mean, I didn't write anything important down."

Jou stared a little, shocked that Kaiba had to write down special important dates. Like, did he make a note in his calendar when it was Christmas and New Years and Mokuba's birthday and stuff like that?" Is it Mokuba's birthday? I can imagine he'd be pissed if you worked on his special day."

"No. No, definitely not. I never miss that." A soft frown marred Kaiba's face, even as he deemed the shake 'acceptable' and took another sip. "Is the twenty-fourth special to you?

Jou shrugged, already finishing off his shake and eyeing Kaiba's. "Not reall-wait, it's the twenty-fifth, not the twenty-fourth."

"Oh." Kaiba tended to lose tracks of days when he wasn't working. He just didn't care enough to pay attention. Let's see, October twenty-fifth… " _Oh_. That's _my_ birthday."

For a long long time, the blond just stared at him. Then he shook his head in disbelief. "Oh. My. _God_ , Kaiba. _Seriously_? Your own _birthday_?"

"It's not important, " the brunette snapped defensively, automatically glaring at the other teen.

Honey eyes just rolled in exasperation. "Is Mokuba's birthday important."

"Of course."

"Then why is your birthday any less important? God, no wonder the kid didn't want you working today. He'd probably planned a surprise…birthday cake for you." Who knew what Kaiba did for his birthday? Probably not a party or anything _social_ like that.

Well. That was something to picture. A huge party for Kaiba.

Chuckling to himself, Jou got up and threw their trash in the garbage. He couldn't believe he was actually _thinking_ about this, but…maybe he should do something nice for Kaiba. After all, it _was_ the guy's birthday. And he _did_ promise to act decent, so it wasn't like Jou had to _suffer_ though the day or anything, even if he _was_ expecting to Kaiba to go against their deal any time now.

Returning to their table, he grinned at Kaiba, plopping back down in his seat. Kaiba raised his eyebrows questioningly, probably wanting to ask a question but hindered by the thick milkshake he was attempting to get up the straw.

Jou kept up his 'It's–harmless-and-I'm-totally-innocent!' grin. "Let's go to the arcade!"

Kaiba proceeded to choke on the shake.

Patience wasn't a strong suit of Jou's, but he managed to wait until Kaiba stopped choking before asking again. The businessman gave him an incredulous look.

"Seriously? The _arcade_? _What_ goes through your mind at times like this?"

Jou shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just thinkin'. It's only, like, two. You don't have to go home right away. And it's not like you're doin' anything else today. What could it hurt?'

Kaiba just gave him another incredulous look, turning his attention back to his shake. Jou sighed, figuring that was a 'no', and started tapping his fingers on the table. Maybe there was somethin' else they could do…?

Since Jou had already trashed the arcade idea, he was surprised when Kaiba finished off his milkshake, tossed the cup in the garbage, and looked at Jou. "Don't just _sit_ there, Jounouchi. Let's go."

Jou's highly intelligent response was, "Huh?"

Kaiba got that look on his face, the one that said any second he was going to start with the dog jokes, but forcefully held it back. Remember the deal… "The _arcade_ , Jounouchi. The place you _just_ mentioned. Let's _go_."

"Oh! R-right!" Jou hated the way he stuttered, but Kaiba could do that to people. Damn unpredictable business freak. "It's just down the street. C'mon."

Still a little stunned that Kaiba actually said yes, Jou got up, leading the other teen out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk. He was actually glad that Kaiba had gotten off the bus here, because this was an area he frequented regularly when he wasn't hanging out with Yuug and the gang. It was only a couple of street away from his house, and everything was pretty cheap so he didn't feel like he was spending a huge amount to have a little fun.

For the first time, Jou worried that this area of town would be too cheap and shoddy for Kaiba's tastes. He was still convinced that any second Kaiba was going to 'forget' their deal and go back to his usual bitter, sarcastic jerky self. This would be ripe material for Kaiba's scathing comments, and _that_ would make Jou feel like so much dirt under Kaiba's shoe.

But a glance over his shoulder showed that Kaiba was just quietly following him. Sure, that usual disgusted sneer was still on his face, but he was holding himself back from actually saying any of the comments that were no doubt running through his head.

That was probably because Kaiba didn't, at this time, know how to get back to that big-ass mansion of his from here, rather than any sense of, y'know, _humanity_. But still, whatever worked.

"Here we are," Jou stated, stopping in front of the arcade. It was just a little hole-in-the-wall place, tucked between a vegetable market and an ice-cream place. Even from out here, they could hear the music and sounds from the games inside.

Once more, Jou glanced over at Kaiba, a little worried how the guy would react. Why he was worrying so much, he wasn't sure; maybe it was because they were sort of getting along and Jou could pretend they were being _friends_. He was a little surprised to see Kaiba's face actually relax a little bit, some of the lines on his face disappearing.

Kaiba really was relaxing a little in front of the arcade. So far on this little 'adventure', he'd been totally out of his element. But here, he was comfortable. Sure, it was dark and crowded and probably way cheaper than he was used to, but it was an arcade. _Games_. Kaiba was comfortable with games. This was his world.

Taking a step forward, Kaiba looked over at Jou. "Are you coming?"

Blinking back to reality, Jou bounced forward, grinning at the brunette. "Hey, Kaiba, bet I can beat you at _Street Fighter II_."

Kaiba just smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Within minutes, the two boys had a good-sized crowd surrounding them, watching them play. Kaiba thought it was originally going to be easy to beat Jou, because he was, after all, really good at games. But Jou had spent hours on end when he was younger on this particular game, and in this particular arcade he was undefeated. Not to mention, KaibaCorp had yet to put out a fighting game, so Kaiba wasn't _as_ proficient at _Street Fighter II_ as he was on anything else.

But Kaiba was a quick learner, and in just one or two minutes, he'd memorized Jou's favorite moves and figured out how to beat them.

Jou let out a growl of frustration as Kaiba's Chun-Li took out his Ryu. He leapt up and pointed over the console at the brunette, crying, "Best two out of three! I'll beat you this time!"

Then Kaiba looked up, and Jou's words got caught in his throat.

Kaiba's eyes were _sparkling_.

Oh, he still had the same cocky little grin on his stubbornly serious face. But his eyes were dancing, both with amusement and competition, and even through the contacts Jou could see the CEO's eyes were clearer, _happier_ than Jou had ever seen them.

He realized that Kaiba was actually having _fun_.

Kaiba's grin got even wider, and he leaned back in his seat. "Given up already, Jounouchi?"

With that, Jou's competitive spirit flared up, and he sat back down. "Bring it _on_."

Nearly two hours later, the two boys left the arcade, laughing amongst themselves. Three games had quickly become best of five, then nine, then eleven. Then they'd moved on to other games, and even though Kaiba had _thoroughly_ whooped his butt every time, Jou had _so_ much fun.

When Kaiba wasn't being an egomaniacal asshole, when he let himself relax and just be a _teenager_ , he wasn't so bad to hang out with.

"Hey, you want an ice cream?" Jou asked, pointing to the ice-cream place next to the arcade. "My treat." It was still Kaiba's birthday, after all.

Kaiba smirked, hiding the fact that he had no money anyway. "Well, if _you're_ buying, why not?" A little surprised at the unexpected kindness, he went up, ordering a plain vanilla cone before Jou could change his mind.

The blond in question made a face at what Kaiba ordered. "Vanilla? Man, that's no way to live. You gotta order like this!" He then went on to order a double-chocolate-chunk fudge-swirl cone. The girl behind the counter giggled at the two so-very different boys, quickly preparing their ice cream. As a treat, and because he was having a good day, Jou left her a nice tip, smiling as he dragged Kaiba down the street.

Kaiba took an appreciative bite out of his ice cream as they walked, giving an odd look at Jou's choclatey monstrosity. "That…is a lot of chocolate," was the nicest thing he could think to say.

Jou grinned, taking a huge bite out of the ice cream. "Ain't it awesome? You can _never_ go wrong with chocolate. Here we are!" Coming on the edge of a park, Jou dragged Kaiba over the grass, pulling the brunette down with him on a small, two-person bench. Then, totally disregarding how close they were, Jou just gleefully went back to his ice cream.

For a moment, Kaiba shifted uncomfortably, not used to having someone so close without them trying to do _something_ to him, be it cozy up to gain his favor or try to hurt him in some way. But when it was obvious that Jou was going to do neither, Kaiba let himself relax, just a little bit, going to his ice cream and taking small bites.

Done with his ice cream way too soon, and wishing he had thought to get two scoops, Jou leaned back on the bench, watching the kids play on the little playset. "Y'know, this wasn't so bad, Kaiba. When you aren't bein' a mean jerk, you're a pretty cool guy."

Kaiba stiffened, just a bit at that. No one, other than Mokuba, had _ever_ said he was 'cool'. Well, there were all those dueling fans of his, but that wasn't because they knew him. Anyone even relatively close used words like 'cruel' or 'egotistical' to describe him.

It wasn't a bad feeling.

Not intent on letting Jou realize this, Kaiba just shifted, taking another small bite of his ice cream. "Well, you're less of an idiot than I would have thought too, so I guess we're even."

Jou just rolled his eyes and sighed. Kaiba was still Kaiba, after all that.

The blond sighed again, still watching the kiddies play. Too bad they weren't going to do this again. He hadn't been lying when he said Kaiba was a cool guy. He'll, if he hadn't had all that stuff happen with his stepfather (which Jou didn't _quite_ understand but he knew it wasn't _good_ ) they might have been _friends_.

You know. Barring all that arrogant conceited jerkface stuff Kaiba pulled.

After _way_ too long, Kaiba finished his ice cream, leaning back and letting his eyes watch the kids play as well. He couldn't help the small smile that fluttered over his face watching them. There was one little boy that reminded him of Mokuba, when he was younger and found delight in every blade of grass on the ground.

And, because he was nice and relaxed and not worried that Jou would take advantage of it, Kaiba didn't even think to stifle his smile.

That was why, when Jou turned to ask another random question, he froze in his tracks, stunned by the soft, gentle look on the CEO's normally harsh face. It was like back in the arcade, when Jou saw that glimmer in the businessman's eyes. It was…he was…

Kaiba was _beautiful_.

In an ethereal sort of way.

Sure, Jou knew that girls thought Kaiba was hot. All his fangirls and those dueling fans. And he was pretty sure Anzu had brought in more than one teeny girl 'zine that had Kaiba listed as one of the top ten hottest guys in Domino (Jou had been stoked to find out that he was listed fourth in one of these; guess all that dueling was good for his image too!)

But Jou had never really thought about it. Kaiba was a _guy_ , why would Jou give a second thought to the other's teen's features? Besides, Jou was usually too worked up to think about it.

But now, right this moment, he couldn't help but agree with all those girls. With the fading light playing over the teen's face, and that quiet, rare little smile on his lips, and that oh so tender look in his eyes (even if they were brown; they'd probably be prettier when they were blue) Jou could…actually see it. He could see what the fuss was about.

A blush streaked across the blond's face, and he whipped his head forward, watching as the mothers came to collect their children. What was he thinking? Sure, Kaiba was good-looking in a cold sort of way (when Jou wasn't fighting with the bastard, even he had to admit that Kaiba had his own charms. When he didn't open his mouth and spit venom at people). But he'd never thought a guy was _beautiful_ before. Much less _Kaiba_.

God, this day was turning _weird_.

Beside him, Kaiba shifted, the presence of the children gone hardening him again and making him slip his cold mask on once more. Reaching up, he tugged at the brim of his cap, even though there was no one but Jou around and, therefore, no reason to be worried his disguise had slipped. Beside, if anyone _had_ seen him, they'd never have believed it was actually _Seto Kaiba_ sitting on a bench in disguise. Seto Kaiba didn't smile like _that_.

Feeling utterly conspicuous now, the brunette stood turning to the blond. "Jounouchi, I need to go now. Take me home." He'd spent too long in these clothes, and too long with the mutt with his defenses down. He needed to get back in his usual attire and yell at people until he felt better.

Jou seemed all too willing to take him back, jumping up almost instantly. "Right, come on. Bus is this way." Without even looking back, he took off, practically running at the speeds he was moving at.

Anything to keep Kaiba from seeing his blush. He'd _never_ live _that_ down.

Kaiba followed without a word, aware of the sudden awkward tension surrounding them. He would be much too glad to get home again.

The wait at the bus stop was torturous. They were the only ones there, but Jou refused to look at him and Kaiba wouldn't have spoken to him anyway. Their day was ending, the deal was breaking, and it was apparent by their silence.

Not to mention, when the bus _finally_ pulled up, Jou had to pay Kaiba's fare. Which made Jou annoyed _and_ embarrassed. So things were even more awkward and silent between them. But this time, the bus was relatively empty, so Jou sat all the way in the back and Kaiba sat behind the bus driver, and the separation between them let some of the awkwardness leave. After all, with Kaiba nowhere near him, Jou didn't have to worry about him seeing the blush, so the blush went away. And Kaiba was just glad to have a moment of peace to collect himself again.

So when the bus finally got to an area that Kaiba recognized, he was pretty much back to his old self. Hitting the stop button for his stop, the brunette stood, tugging at his cap as he passed the driver. Stepping off the bus, he took a deep breath, mentally smiling at the familiar surroundings. Thank god, he could go home and get dressed in his own, normal clothes and suffer through whatever birthday celebration Mokuba planned and it would be nice and _normal_ for _him_.

Then he frowned, and without turning around, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Behind him, Jou laughed, already recovered from whatever awkwardness he'd suffered from. "Walking ya home. Why?"

" _Why_ are you doing that?"

Kaiba could practically _hear_ the blond's careless shrug. "I dunno. Day's not over, I guess. And I never let a friend walk home alone."

At that, Kaiba nearly missteped, changing the move into a turn so he could stare at the blond. "We are _not_ friends. One day doesn't _make_ us friends."

Again with the careless shrug. "Yeah. But we had a good time, right? So I'm pretending you're my friend. Just like you're pretending to be normal. Deal with it."

Kaiba gave him another incredulous look, before turning back on his heel and stalking down the sidewalk, more than flustered (though it didn't show on his face). _Friends_? Jou was considering -no, _pretending_ \- they were _friends_?

He really didn't understand what when through that guy's mind sometimes.

Things were silent the rest of the way, and Kaiba was never more relieved to see his front gates again. Letting out a breath, he stopped in front of the keypad, reaching up to type in the code and escape this strange world everyone else called _'normal'_.

"Hey, Kaiba, happy birthday."

Kaiba paused, hand hovering over the keypad, looking back at Jou. "…you realize this changes nothing, right?"

The blond grinned cheekily, giving the other teen a thumb's up. "I know. Come Monday, we'll go back to the way we were. You'll still be a prick."

Kaiba smirked, lowering his floating hand to his side. "And you'll still be a mutt."

Seeing as how the day's activities had (somewhat) mellowed the rich boy, and the earlier tension seemed to have dissipated just a bit, Jou let the insult roll off his back. "But in my defense, it's not Monday yet. And hey, we had fun. No reason I can't wish ya happy birthday." He'd thought he'd blown it with that 'friends' thing, but it didn't seem to bother Kaiba. So happy birthday it was.

Kaiba watched him for a long time, long enough that Jou was getting a little nervous under that familiar stare.

But eventually, Kaiba just reached up, tugging at the brim of his cap. "Thank you, Jounouchi. It was…interesting."

Somehow, Jou should have expected that.

Nodding to the blond, Kaiba turned, punching in the code for his security gates. The huge gates opened on silent, well-oiled hinges, and Kaiba slipped through without another word. And even though Kaiba was (probably) perfectly safe in his own big-ass front yard, Jou watched Kaiba until the other teen was at the front door.

For just a moment, Kaiba turned back, and their eyes met. And somehow, they both knew that no matter what they said, this _did_ change things. It wouldn't be the same on Monday.

But then the front door was opening, and Mokuba was barreling out and latching on to Kaiba's waist. Jou got to catch just a glimmer of that rare Mokuba-only smile, before the brunette pulled them both inside and shut the door behind him.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jou smiled to himself. "Happy birthday, Kaiba."

And then he left.

He couldn't _wait_ for Monday.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout outs to _Street Fighter II_ and Ouran High School Host Club.


End file.
